Taming of a Kitsune
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: This is the story of Naruto Uzumaki. Listen as the tale of our favorite, number one, hyperactive knucklehead ninja, is retold in its entirety as it was truly meant to be! NarutoxFem Kyuubi
1. Chapter 1

Red hair twirled in her finger as she seemed to ponder.

"Hmm...

The weight on the bed shifted, and she looked to the left.

Violet eyes met red.

"Still tense, little sister?"

She flushed, as she felt an arm around her neck, embracing her whilst their other companion, on the right, dozed in the bed with them.

"N-Nee-chan! Q-Quit it!"

A small chuckle, light and airy, as she pulled the sheets closer about their nude forms.

"I was right to return. This 'Naruto' of yours, is a suitable mate for us both."

Another deep cherry flush.

"D-Don't talk like that!"

It was always like this, she mused to herself, no matter what form she took, or in this rare case, was perpetually _bound_ in...

Always the same in the end, ever since she had come to exist, ever since she had opened her eyes for the very first time.

Childhood had been wasted on her, when she was young, and THAT was a long time ago, she only retained the dimmest memories of blood, lust, and slaughter.

These three factors had taken precedence even in her love life.

Every time a human, male or female caught her eye, there were other suitors to compete with. More often than not, diplomacy would fail, and violence would ensue.

This would then result in a fight over said mortal, which would then bring endless pain and suffering to both sides. Back in her younger years, there was one of two likely outcomes to the disputes.

She would either _kill_ the suitor, or her lover would just deem it not worthy of so much bloodshed and bitterness, instead choosing the other over her.

She had lost many a companion that way, broken her heart many a time. Even _if_ things worked out, as they had way back in the Ming dynasty with that peasant….

A small sigh escaped her; she blinked the tears away, _refusing _to let them fall.

It was both a blessing and a curse to be immortal.

After suffering what humans called 'death' she was _always_ reborn, again and again, whether she wanted it or not.

Her mortal lovers…

Did not have such a courtesy.

Humans were so frail, she thought to herself. A sword through the gut, or an arrow to the head, and down they came, with but a death rattle in their lungs, the life gone from their eyes.

There was a bright side to this, she mused silently.

She had given birth to great and noble lines. Powerful shinobi and kunoichi, shoguns and samurai, diplomats and scholars alike. All were unmatched, both in battle and in speech, able to talk their way down from the most precarious of perches, no matter the situation.

Many a time had she been on the arm of a powerful man, but rarer still was the case if she would stay for more than a day, or allow herself to be taken to bed.

She had…

Rather high standards, to say the least.

She had been there to see Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama build the Leaf Village , even lending a hand in it, using her mighty powers to carve the face of the first Hokage into the great stone wall.

This was a time when she trusted humans and often walked amongst them, always in the guise of a beautiful woman.

She bestowed many blessing and techniques upon the villagers, but of course, they thought they were merely being blessed by a sage, not one of the nine Biju, in human form.

Civilization soon grew boring for her, but Senju Tobirama was loathe to see her go. After Madara's betrayal, and the death of his older brother, he wanted her to stay, and help him rebuild the Leaf as the Nidaime Hokage.

She knew it was not her place to do so, nor did she want to be tied down,

Instead, she stayed on for the remainder of the week, just long enough to bear him their son, a perfectly healthy, mortal baby boy.

And then she had left him.

Both with the child…

_And_ a gift.

She had been the one to give the second Hokage that necklace that Naruto now wore, the one that could, and _would _suppress her chakra, as well as those of her brethren.

It had been forged from a rare ore, one smoldered in hellfire. Bestowing it upon him, she issued these instructions:

He was to pass it down his lineage, and when his line died, then to his successor. It had been her final farewell blessing to the Leaf, and so long as this tradition was followed she would not raise her hand against the village she had helped to found.

Then she set out to explore the world, leaving her friends behind, eager to see just what else the world had to offer.

Alas, during the next decade or so…

Her naiveté was all but gone.

After a millennia, she had grown tired of this wretched repetition, this endless cycle of pain and loss, and never being able to experience long lasting love, and the horrifying, grisly images that haunted her at night….

She long ago realized that she could never tell anyone her innermost secret, what she truly was. For a time, the matter was trivial to her, but when odd circumstances, miracles even, began to occur wherever she went, it began dire.

Most humans found the concept of dating a demon rather…

_Unappealing_, to put it nicely.

Once a mortal found out what she really was, it did not matter whether that individual was pure nor if he was evil, she would be found out.

Even a then, there were still those who desired the powers of the Gods, and therefore, her as well, thanks to her near deity-like status.

Regretfully, she often reveled in the attention, more often committing a good deed, rather than an ill one. She had indeed been worshiped as an angel, even treated as such.

She had been such a fool.

Feats such as raising the dead, parting oceans, commanding the five elements themselves to do her bidding…

These actions were bound to draw attention to her, hell that was the reason she _did_ them in the first place! She had always loved the spotlight, especially when it was shining on her.

Never had it even _remotely_ occurred to her that others might actually lust for her power, wish to make it their own, or worse, dominate her kind, her very brethren, totally and utterly.

But some did, and although small in number…

They were nonetheless deadly.

Akatsuki was _nothing_ compared to that organization, the one that had struck fear in her heart, pure raw terror, for the first time.

They were called…

Sono Musei Yotogi, also known as The Silent Watchers.

Unlike the Akatsuki, who had sought simply to _use_ the Biju…

Yotogi sought to _eliminate _them, their kind and all other unnatural beings. Their basis for this was that those whose abilities, or even appearance alone, intruded upon God's domain, were evil, and must be 'purified', so that they would not 'stain mother earth with their impurity'.

They were ruthless and vicious, resorting to any means necessary to kill the 'stains' that were her kind.

But no, this was not enough for them!

They eventually deemed any individual who possessed a bloodline limit, a gift she, her brothers and sisters had bestowed upon the people of the earth, a plague as well! This meant that they too must be eradicated.

When they came, it was so unexpected, so unpredicted, that no one saw it coming.

Or rather, one Biju did, but he was never paid any heed.

Ironically, this individual was Shukaku, the weakest of them, and the 'baby' of the family, which foretold the coming of a 'Great shadow', looming in the not so distant future.

If you could call a giant, psychotic raccoon dog with a penchant for mayhem a 'baby', that is.

Of course, everyone ignored him, and went about their carefree lives, doing as they pleased, despite the Ichibi's incessant pleas to prepare themselves for a great war.

Tsuki was included amongst those who ignored the prophecy. She went back to the Leaf, for a little R&R, and also to see how her son was faring.

Again and again he was rebuffed, paid no heed for nearly a decade, eventually driven totally mad, from the ever looming threat that kept growing with every day.

Time and time anew, no one lent him their ears…

Still, the fact that Shukaku had actually manipulated a human into founding a village, and in the desert no less…

Who would go to such lengths if they were lying?

Realizing that she was becoming sedentary once again, Tsuki bid farewell to the recently elected Hizuren Sarutobi, and then bid her goodbyes to her son as well leaving them both with warnings not to attack the Land of Wind .

Then she set out to see this new Sunagakure…

But not before making a much needed side trip, to ask for advice from perhaps the wisest amongst them…

Her elder sister, Keiei, the hidden Biju, the Juubi no Juubunnoichi, a fox, much like herself, yet she was wiser in the ways of this age, having been born a good century before Kami had deigned to create the other nine Jinchuuriki.

Other such differences were that the color of her fox form was a bright purple, as opposed to Tsuki's red.

She was taller than her sibling in human form, shy, generally mild-mannered, though when need be, she was a fierce fighter, and always, she was a sound tactician.

Another notable fact was that her Nee-chan refused to consider mortals or demons for love, always murmuring that she was waiting for the right time…

Keiei had told her to be careful, and when asked why, she had said that war was coming to the land.

Though many villages had been founded, and each with peaceful intentions…

The way of man was fickle. The five shinobi nation's villages, Konoha, Iwa, Kumo, Mist, and even Suna would soon be at war.

Tsuki protested that Hachibi and Nibi would never do such a thing, not even Shukaku could use his newly created Sand Village to start such chaos.

Her sister patted her sibling on the forehead, sighing to herself as she turned away, and rising from her seat.

"None of you shall start the conflict, yet each of you will be drawn into it."

"But sister, what about you?"

Surely she would not stand aside and let this happen! The very strands of time were privy to her will, she could undo all this with but a thought!

So why hadn't she done anything?

Keiei smiled, and suddenly, she seemed tired, so _very _tired. " Tsuki…my time here is coming to an end. I can only exist in this realm so long as I have a mate."

A sorrowed look flashed through her violet eyes, then it was gone. "I have created the Hyuuga clan, whilst you engineered the emergence of the Uchiha into a prosperous household."

She waved her hands in an encompassing gesture, her ears standing erect, alert, and her ten tails swaying smoothly across the marble floor behind her. "Yet no creation of mine can ever, _will _ever do for me, and though you have taken solace in the comforts of mortals, you know that I cannot yet do such a thing."

With a flick of her wrist, a portal appeared, a gateway to darkness.

She began to step into it, but paused, midway through.

"I shall return my sister, though I may be gone for ages, I will stave off the evil that we have seen on the horizon…I wish you well."

And then she was gone.

She truly feared, and prayed that her sister had wiped out the last of them as she said she would. Even one of them could spell her doom-

Raw fear clutched at her breast.

And Naruto's as well.

All it took was _one_ stray word, _one_remaining member and they would come for her family again, en masse.

To that end, thanks to _them,_ she had become bitter with the mortal realm. They had taken her sister from her, and in doing so, left her devoid of her former life.

War had come indeed, and Tsuki could only look on in horror, as the clans she and her sister had created, from their own blood, wreak indescribable horrors upon their enemies.

Yet their victories would have all been for naught, if not for this "Yellow Flash" fellow, who was rumored to be the eventual successor to the Third Hokage. He seemed to move like a ghost amongst his enemies, cutting them down in a manner similar to that of what her kind called a 'shunpo'.

She remembered looking on in terror, as the humans somehow devised a way to seal her brethren, and during the long years of warfare that followed, her brothers and sisters were sealed within shinobi from different villages, time and time again, freedom snatched from their claws/paws…

Forever.

She was soon the only one left, the last of her kind, that is, if her sister was alive. She did not yet know that the first Hokage had made it a standing order to NOT pursue the Kyuubi, in hopes of sealing her into one of their shinobi…

However, this did not stop several other villages from trying, and eventually, she witnessed the one thing her heart could not bear.

Her son, by this time a full grown man…

Was slain in battle, a conflict she had observed, yet remained aloof from.

Until she had watched the mask of her son fall off, mere moments before the blade pierced through his stomach, the one soft spot in his armor, she had been content to supervise the battle…

Her eyes went wide as she saw his short, spiky hair, matted down with sweat, and his eyes, one blue, the other red, go wide in horror, as he felt every agonizing second of the katana erupting from his back.

In slow motion, he toppled to his knees, clutching at the hole in his stomach, even as his attacker ripped the blade out.

The moment he hit his knees, his attacker raised his blood soaked blade…

With a scream she had leapt upon the enemy and ripped them asunder!

"GET AWAY FROM MY SON!"

It was all over in an eye blink.

Yet she had been too late to save him.

Far too late.

Alas, before death took him…

His eyes became less cloudy, and he seemed to recognize the kunoichi that cradled his head in her lap.

After all this time, he still recognized her, and that alone hurt Tsuki more than anything else possibly could or would. It scarred her emotionally, knowing that her boy still loved her, even when she had left him to grow up on his own.

"M-Mother…The word was a dry rasp in his throat, followed by a spew of blood from his mouth, as he gazed up at her.

"Sh… Don't speak, Musha…

He forced his pallid face into a smile, reaching up to pat her head, as if to determine that the ears he had often tugged at during his childhood, were still there.

"Y-You c-came b-back…

Tears began to pool in her pale red eyes, one of which he shared, despite being mortal.

"Of course. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't-

He shook slightly, and this involuntary action drew her body rigid with tension.

"I'm c-cold…He murmured, the blood steadily pooling beneath him. Alas, it was her _own_blood, already mingled with his own from birth, which rejected her healing chakra, having developed immunity to it…

Due to the number of times she had healed him in the past, upon returning every year or so, to patch up his scratches and battle scars, which he got quite a lot of, what with being made Anbu at age twelve, something that had never happened before, and would not occur again for several more years.

Honestly, she couldn't be more proud of him.

Slowly, she ran a hand across his right cheek, the other running through his fiery hair, more an effort to calm herself, than comfort him, although that was what she still intended to portray.

"Sh... You'll be fine now. I'll warm you up, and-

"N-No!" His right hand suddenly lashed out and seized the hand that caressed his face, holding it tightly, as if it were the only thing left tying him to this world.

His breathing suddenly became labored, his chest rising and falling rapidly, thusly spreading blood everywhere, splattering onto her white robes.

"I…just…want…

More blood vomit, and he looked at her pleadingly.

…I just want you…to…hold me…one last...time...mom."

One look at all the holes his body had, told her that was the worst possible idea, as his legs were at odd angles, and clearly broken.

It was miracle he could even speak, let alone breathe at this point.

"Don't be stupid. If I move you-

He grits his teeth together.

"All I…ever wanted…was… to be…a…fine…shinobi…like you…He strangled out, fighting a coughing fit, losing as his body was wracked once more with the convulsions, his breath the faintest of whispers, even in her sensitive ears.

"If…I live…then I'll…have nothing…to live _for_…

_She_ could barely even breathe from the emotional sorrow that was clawing at her breast.

Violence.

In this war torn world, this was all he knew, all _she _knew, but still, she acknowledged his final request.

Gingerly, she pulled him up against her lap, now cradling part of his upper body in her lap, his head resting against her breasts.

If he wasn't her son, then she'd slap him silly for that nosebleed he was getting right now, but honestly, she wasn't sure if it was internal bleeding.

A ragged sigh escaped him, as he squeezed her hand…

One final time.

"Mom…I…love…you…

Slowly, his eyes drifted shut, and just the faintest hint of a smile was upon his face…

He breathed his last.

At that moment, she felt his spirit breeze right past her.

The tears spilled down her face in rich geysers, and she realized the gut wrenching truth.

"Musha? Musha! Musha?!"

Grief stricken, she buried her head in his blood stained chest.

"No…no no no no!" She sobbed, sobbed until she had nothing left at all, crying all her pain, sorrow and misery into her offspring..

Then the medics got there.

Unfortunately for them, they were _Stone_ Ninja medics.

They recognized the redheaded kunoichi immediately, as if the blazing chakra fox head over her body wasn't a dead giveaway.

"Oh shit! It's-

She never even gave them time to scream, as was suddenly enshrouded in green light, revealing her real form, her beauty transfixing them, allowing her to silently rip out their throats, before they could even speak.

Moments later, shaking off the blood of her victims, she dispersed her power, took up her usual form, andwas gone.

Like a wraith, she sprinted through the treetops, a hollow look in her eyes, still crying softly to herself, even as she ran.

Although she knew a good many of her children _did_ die, the resulting guilt of actually _holding_ her child's body in her arms, watching the light of life fade from his eyes…

Would haunt her for the remainder of her free life.

Broken, she wandered about for a month, killing whatever enemy nin she could find, a means to satiate her bitterness…

This led her to the main battlefields, along the border between Rain and Leaf, where the fiercest of fighting occurred.

Her tenacity for battle soon earned her the reputation of the Shinku no oni, otherwise known as the Crimson demon, after her long red hair, and flowing robes, which had long since been stained with the blood of her enemies.

She was not a killer for hire, as both sides soon found out. However, she had a strong disposition against killing Konoha nin, which would often lead them to give her a wide berth.

Whenever she appeared on the battlefield, the Leaf was almost guaranteed victory, yet before she could be thanked, she was always gone, on to the next kill.

For a time, that was all she lived for.

Until she ran into _him_, the one with the blond hair, and the cheerful attitude, the one who Iwa feared and hated so.

It had been after a rather gruesome bloodbath, with both of them leading the charge against an overwhelming force of enemy nin. They were outnumbered, 10 to 1, yet once again, Konoha prevailed.

For what seemed the millionth time she picked herself up from the carnage, and turned to go-

Yet this time, his hand on her shoulder held her fast, with an iron grip

"Wait."

Slowly, she looked over her shoulder, cold even to the touch, red eyes flinty and hard. "What is it you want of me?"

Minato had scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but the look in his eyes was anything but, as the remainder of his battalion trudged their way back to camp.

"You've done much for my village."

"What of it?"

"Come back with us." His voice nudged at her gently. "I'm sure my village would gladly accept you as an ally."

A bitter chuckle escaped her, as she rolled her shoulders, shrugging him off. "I'm sure they would. Therefore I refuse."

She began to rummage through the corpses, taking any available weapons on hand, depositing them into her storage scroll when she did find something of use.

"What?" Her statement only confused him more, and now he was following her.

She tossed him a rock Nin headband, something she had no need for, something he tossed aside seconds later.

"I will aid you in battle, but do not expect our alliance to remain steadfast for long, Namikaze Minato.

"I take it you're not my enemy then?"

She sighed sadly, a small tremble passed through her body, as she obtained a kunai from one corpse, then a sword from another.

"No, I am not. But it does not matter; I will be forgotten soon enough."

"Huh? Who could forget all that you've done for the Leaf, miss…

Now the sheepish grin was back.

"This'd be a lot easier for me, if I knew your name."

She gave him a deadpanned look.

"I have never told a mortal my true name, nor will I _ever_."

"Aw come on!" He had whined. "Here, I'll even tell you my name-

Her vicious snarl cut him off, as she whirled on him with great speed, for one of her stature, as that sword she had just picked up…

Was suddenly held at his neck.

"My _true _name gives those who know it power over me. Therefore I refuse to divulge it, and even if I did, it would certainly not be known to a mortal like you."

He didn't even flinch, in fact, he shrugged, his tone holding just a _tint _amusement, as she pulled the blade away. "Then I look forward to fighting alongside you again oh nameless one."

She rolled her eyes, blew aside a strand red hair, and growled slightly, placing both hands upon her hips, looked up at him.

"Are you going to call me that _every_ time you see me?"

A foxy grin, made her blush, just the faintest tinge, but it was _definitely_still there. "You better believe it missy-whoa!"

He was a bit surprised, when she yanked him down by the collar, to meet him eye to eye. Red eyes briefly became a pale yellow, so as to reflect her true form, and not her preferred one.

The words whispered across the distance that separated their lips.

"Tsuki. You may call me that if you wish."

With that she released him, and shunpoed out of sight.

Still too hurt, and unwilling to lower herself to the level of _another_ human, she instead turned to others of her own kind, demons and demigods alike, for compassion and comfort.

She found nothing but lust down in the black abyss that was and still _is_ Hell.

Bereft and alone from her latest failed love, with a fellow demon who would later call himself Naraku, she had spirited herself away from civilization, swearing to never love again.

After a time, she had fallen asleep in a dense forest, one that the entire continent had regarded as sacred, and dared not touch, for fear of instilling her wrath.

Unfortunately, it would seem that they had forgotten about her, and her warning to never fell a single tree from her sacred abode.

When Konhagakure had torn up the forest, to further expand their village, she had awoken, full of wrath, spite and rage, half her home was no more.

Mere stumps of the giant oaks remained.

This sacred place, were she and her sister had played as children…

Had been desecrated!

It was all gone!

Were gone.

How _dare_ they!

She had bestowed countless blessings upon them, and yet they still _dared_ to ravage _her _forest?!

She would make them pay for this transgression!

It was well remembered by all, the night she attacked the village. Her roars shook the very earth, and her eyes gleamed with a madness never seen before, taking her demon form in her rage, and ripping apart all opposition, with Konoha's lights fixated in her sights.

Then _he _had arrived on the battlefield.

Being sealed inside Naruto was the _last_ thing she had expected to happen, nor had she desired such an outcome.

When she felt the cold hand of the Death God clamp down upon her soul, she had gone pale with fear, and used all her power, shredding mountains, toppling trees, setting the very earth ablaze in her feverish attempts to be free….

Freedom was the only thing left that she could call her own!

She did not want to be made a captive!

Shrieking her fury, she thrashed and raged against its hold, tearing at the toad summons the fourth Hokage had ridden upon, and taking sight in his right eye…

Only to see that _necklace_dangling round the neck of the Yondaime.

Immediately, all of her strength was sapped away, and she was left powerless to resist, bound into the baby boy in a moment.

She remembered that night as if it were yesterday.

That was when everything had changed….

--

(Flashback)

The body of the Hokage and his wife slumped to the floor, as their spirits took the place of hers in the belly of the Death God, so that she could be sealed into Naruto.

She screamed her fury inside the child, and in response he cried, the trio of whisker marks forming on either side of his face.

Everyone looked on, as Tsuki's body, or rather, the form of the Kyuubi, collapsed and turned to ash, deprived of her spirit.

No one had been there to pick him up, no one had come to shelter him.

Confounded, she rammed against her prison, and screamed until she was hoarse, barely able to speak.

_Confound_ them! How dare they do this to her!

The seal was still fresh, and she could not get through, yet she soon saw that it was allowing her chakra to escape the infant…

No, it went into him, _through_him, and she marveled at this, as it coursed into his undeveloped chakra coils, keeping him safe and warm.

She was being forced to help this human!

She could feel the infant's mind, panicky and scared, unable to understand what was happening to him.

At first, the peevish fox ignored his anguished cries.

Yet, cold as she was, she could not help but feel a trace of compassion, for his cries. She had given birth to many a child, and even now, she could not ignore the pained screams of this newborn infant, that had been deprived of his parents.

Curious, she tried an experiment, and probed into his mind, for any image that would bring him comfort.

Immediately, she received a mental snapshot of his mother, who eerily bore a rather similar appearance to her preferred human form.

It wasn't surprising really, she _had _been all over the five elemental nations, AND had so many affairs that even a legendary pervert would blush at.

Breathing out, she released some of her chakra, into a nearby body, that was still alive, giving it enough strength to rise, whether it wanted to or not. Its current occupant had no desire to live, so she did the woman a favor, and kicked her right up to heaven.

Yet for all her healing, this form would probably wouldn't last the night, as it was bleeding internally, and she could only patch up _so much_.

She recalled the gasps everyone gave, as her the body of the nondescript kunoichi rose, shook off the dirt that had accumulated on it, and walked over to the boy.

Slowly, she bent down cradled him in her arms, pressing him against her bosom. Smoothly, she rocked him back and forth until his crying at last quieted, and began to fall into a fitful slumber.

When she spoke, it was in an ethereal voice, projecting the image of the boy's mother onto her features, a rudimentary genjutsu, that could only target one person at a time.

The boy didn't mind, in his little tear soaked eyes, he saw his mommy, comforting him, soothing him, placing a taste, cold, clammy kiss against his forehead.

_Poor child, you never asked for this did you? Poor little kit…_

Everyone had cried out in protest.

"It's the demon! It's raising the dead!"

This woke Naruto, making the baby cry.

Tsuki had tried to console the infant, but he just wailed louder and louder…

Till the point where she decided to reveal herself.

Her eyes glittered red, and she amplified her voice as best she could, in her weakened state, leaking a bit of red chakra as well.

_SILENCE! If any of you _peons_ raise a hand against him, then you will not live to see the next sunrise!_

Now there _was_silence, and in the ensuing confusion, she walked right up to Hizuren Sarutobi, who know had been forced to take up his position as the third Hokage once more.

Her red eyes glared into his very soul as she spoke.

_You had best take care of this boy, Sarutobi because from this moment on, I claim him as my own. If he gets the slightest scratch…_

She left the threat hanging in the air.

The startled old geezer managed a nod, as she placed the boy in his arms, her makeshift patch job already falling apart.

_Then I shall take my leave…_

And with that, the corpse collapsed.

(End Flashback)

--

(Present)

A small smile touched her face, as she recalled sheltering the gaki, or kit, as she called him. Whenever he needed help, whenever he was in danger, she had come rushing to his aid, no matter how small it might be.

And whoever harmed him, turned up dead the next morning, aside from his friends, whom she knew the boy would not be able to live without.

He had come so _very_ far in what she considered such a short amount of time.

He had come close to seeing her for the first time, when he had summoned that old fart of a toad boss, Gamabunta.

When he needed power against Sasuke, she had introduced him to the Jinchuuriki cloak, and the first of his nine tails, which would have overwhelmed Sasuke, had not Naruto turned aside his rasengan in the last second before impact.

During his three years of training, she had appeared in his dreams, as they began to harmonize with one another, first one, then two, and at last three.

And finally, during his fourth tailed rampage, he had _forced_her out, lost herself in the bloodlust that was her inner nature.

In reality, she had found herself growing jealous of those who grew closer to him, with this 'Sakura' in particular. Unused to being kindly spoken too, she had tried to make Naruto attack Sakura, to show that he was not just some pushover.

He had refused, and somehow won their little tug of war.

Ironically this was what had been her salvation.

And now, here she was, caught in the wheel of fate once again.

The intense spike of chakra that freed her had attracted her sister back to the realm of mortals.

Unlike before, she could not simply take her demon form, and tear her competition to shreds, as she had done here and there in the past…

Now, she would have to _tolerate_ that she might have to share him with another. The idea was new to her, and despite the brash façade she had put up for him…

The notion was rather disconcerting for her, sharing him with her sister.

She gingerly touched a hand to her stomach, and breathed out nervously, slightly fearful, that if Naruto _did_ survive the test of time…

That new life might someday be stirring within her.

Briefly she recalled holding him in those disembodied arms, when he was but a baby…

Now, he could easily put his own arms around her…

The thought was oddly pleasant.

He would certainly have a long life, and raising a child with him made the smile grow even further.

She caught herself giggling, and smiled softly, it was as if she was returning to her old playful self, before the world had shown her just how cruel it could be.

This was a risky gamble she was taking, opening herself up like this again, and throwing caution to the winds.

What if…

Shaking her head, she dispelled her doubts, and decided to go wherever her newly melted heart would take her.

Her and her sister.

She felt arms encircle her, and smiled softly, as she heard his voice in her ear.

She shivered slightly, as did her sister.

"Morning, Tsuki-chan, Morning, Kei-chan."

"Morning... Naruto-kun."

**Neh, neh, you like? Flashback is up next to explain everything!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Is there really any evidence that _proves_he's human?" a council member asked, looking at the infant Naruto in Sarutobi's arms.

Sarutobi glared at him.

"There's plenty, the fact that he's not growing fox ears and tails is a big one, as well as the fact that he's not grown to monstrous size and started attacking everyone." Another retorted.

"What did the summon bosses say in this respect, Sandaime-sama?" the only female council member in the room asked, also looking at the infant who was peacefully sleeping.

"They never came right out and said it, but it was implied that he was, in fact, quite human. He also had an old human/demon relations custom that he wanted to revive." Sarutobi answered, moving the infant into a more comfortable position.

"That old custom? I haven't heard of anyone wanting to revive it since my father's time." The first councilman commented, looking insightful.

"Whether or not the toad clan wishes to revive a custom with this child is not our concern, what we do with this child _is_." The female council member said, giving a stern look at the first man to have spoken.

"What should we do with him, after all, the villagers are not exactly inviting him into their homes with open arms." The second councilman asked, steeping his hands and resting his chin on them.

"An aquiantance of mine shall be returning from a mission within two days, I intend to let him raise the child." Sarutobi responded.

"And who might this 'aquiantance' be?" Asked a male council member.

Sarutobi spoke his name, and everyone stiffened, a few even daring to shoot the Hokage incredulous looks.

"Sarutobi, have you gone mad?!"

"Surely you are joking?!"

The look of stoic resolve said otherwise.

There was a heavy silence that hung in the room.

"Who are the child's parents, do we know?" the woman asked.

Sarutobi sighed before answering. "I know who his parents are, but I promised not to tell anyone else until I told the child himself."

"This is unfortunate, but understandable. Very well, if there are no objections we shall go through with Sandaime-sama's plan to allow him to raise the child." The woman again spoke, closing the record book as she did so...

--

Thirteen years have passed since the fall of the Yondaime, and the sealing of the Kyuubi. Konohagakure slowly recovered from the death and destruction, and the village was now its normal, calming, cheery place.

Calming...as of ten minutes ago.

"Naruto!" screamed a chunnin, chasing the hooligan. "You won't get away with this!"

"Get back here, you little brat!" shouted another, also in the chase.

"Sorry guys, but just 'cause you're jealous doesn't mean you can catch me!" shouted the hyperactive blond, as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, making himself a hard target to pin down, much less catch.

At last, they cornered him by flanking him.

Wheeling around, he displayed the well-known middle finger salute at his pursuers, before dissapearing in a blur of movement.

His outfit, a orange blue jumpsuit that no ninja would be caught _dead _wearing, made him a dead stand out in the crowd, yet his speed made up for it easily.

After all, what did it matter if you saw your opponent-

The blond snorted as he leapt down from rooftops again, knocking over some more garbage cans, tripping up his pursuers, and slowing the rest slightly as they helped their comrade up.

-When you couldn't catch him?

The chuunin duo came back to the ground level, after chasing the boy across the rooftops. They sprinted past a few fences...only for Naruto to reveal that he was hiding himself there as they missed him.

A grin lit his face.

"Heh, losers or what?!" crowed Naruto. "Hell, no one's good enough to find me! Heck, I'm invincible!"

"Oh really?" A hand clamped down onto Naruto's shoulders.

After a nervous gulp, the boy turned round to see none other than Iruka.

"H-Hey Iruka-sensei!" Sputtered an embarassed Naruto, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, feeling like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"W-what a surprise to see you, he added , desperately trying to search through his mind to find some excuse.

And speaking of his mind, he didn't know he thought of ramen _that_ much.

"Back to the academy," said Iruka, dragging a protesting Naruto along, "You have some cleaning up to do...

"Aw man!" Groaned the blond, crossing his arms.

--

Once they had arrived back in their classroom at the Academy, Iruka, once again proved why every single student hated teachers, by punishing the entire class for one student's actions.

Namely, he forced them all to do a Transformation Test, causing all students to groan as they got to the front of the class in an "orderly" line, whilst a lone individual stood at the back of the class, watching with the practiced interest of a parent.

"This is your fault, Naruto." said Ino in a rueful tone.

"...Ino, look, Sasuke's going to make out with Sakura," replied Naruto boredly.

"What!? Where?! How dare _she_! How dare _he_!" Ino started screeching.

"Ino!" barked Iruka. "Detention after school!"

"Damn you..." muttered Ino, directing her comment at both Iruka and Naruto.

"This is so troublesome..." grumbled the lazy Shikamaru.

"Naruto, your turn!" commanded Iruka.

Naruto wondered about whether Iruka should be a military instructor, the way he barked his orders. He cracked a grin at the thought of Iruka wearing khaki and a helmet, shouting:

_"Drop and give me twenty!"_

"Naruto, I said it's your turn!"

The shadowy figure restrained a soft chuckle, whilst Naruto hurriedly snapped to attention.

"What? Oh yeah, yeah..."

He made the seals.

"HENGE!"

There was suddenly a great cloud of smoke, that didn't dissipate.

"Holy..." '_Please don't let him explode, please don't let him explode!'_prayed Iruka.

The smoke began to clear away...to reveal a very attractive and very _naked _blonde girl, who seductively blew a kiss at Iruka.

"Gah!" cried Iruka, blood dripping from his nose, as he flew backwards into his own desk, crashing there with and explosive thud.

The girl laughed before she poofed away, to reveal a smiling Naruto.

"Iruka-sensei, I didn't know you were a _pervert_! What kind of example are you setting for the children?!"

Everyone winced as Iruka smacked Naruto over the head, just like always for using _that_ kind of henge.

"Stop making stupid techniques!"

Yet the sound of clapping dispersed the laughter.

"Now, now, Iruka. Give the chibi a break. He's still quite young."

The figure descended the steps.

He wore an ebony black hooded cloak that went down to his ankles and was currently covering his face, the arms stopped at his elbows but the rest were wrapped in bandages with his hands in a fingerless black leather glove. He also had under that a shirt stopping at his chest that was colored blue and an all black body suit.

His left leg had a hole visible around the knee cap and a kunai holster placed all the way down to his shin. He also wore a white belt clip around his waist and silver loosely hung one going diagonally with a large black sword hilt on his side.

As always, he wore orange goggles over his eyes, giving him a rather comical appearance, despite Uchiha crest emblazoned on the back of cloak.

Yet he soon removed the cowl that hid his face.

Spiky black hair was the most noticeable feature about him, other than coal black eyes.

Everyone went silent as the figure walked down the steps, wearing his trademark grin.

The stranger looked enough alike Naruto to actually be blood related.

He ruffled the blonde's hair affectionately.

"After all, I helped him _perfect_ that little move of his."

Iruka sweat-dropped, unable to comprehend what he had just been told.

"O-Obito-san, y-you're responsible for that-that-

"Hey!" Cried Naruto, a rather indignant look upon his face. "It has a name! I call it Sexy Jutsu!"

Obito chuckled standing back up.

"So whaddya think?"

Iruka had multiple tick marks plastered over his face, all from sheer frustration of the moment.

With a visible effort, he controlled himself.

"I'll...let it slide this time. But if he does it again at the Exam tomorrow, then he fails."

--

Obito laughed heartily as he and Naruto slapped each other high fives outside the building.

"Not bad Naruto, not bad at all!"

"Thanks sensei!"

However, his brash move was not long lived.

"Oi! Naruto!"

The blond turned his head to see a girl around his age, stalking up to him, and looking none too pleased.

Long crimson hair fell around shoulder length to her neck, and bright red eyes seemed to gaze right into his soul. She wore a simple open ended red jacket, and underneath it, was a series of bandages tied tightly around her seemingly nonexistent chest. The white shorts she wore were practically nonexistent under the bandages she wore, exposing slim legs, topped off with black sandals. **(Similair to Kurenai's Outfit)**

"Eh? Oh, hey Tsuki-chan-URK!

In less than a second, she had seized the blond by his collar.

"What the hell was that jutsu?!"

Obito watched with mild amusement as Naruto tried to explain himself.

"Well...I-Um-ya see-

"You did it all wrong!"

Her words caught him off guard.

"Eh?"

She shook him lightly.

"Baka! I said you didn't do it right!"

Naruto was to perplexed to understand when she tried to explain the "Thousands of flaws" in his technique.

Now it took all the Uchiha had not to burst out laughing.

At last she took notice of this, grabbing Naruto by the wrist, and proceeding to pull him away.

"C'mon, I'll train you somewhere your sensei can't see!"


	3. Chapter 3

(Flashback Five years ago.)

"_Sakura, why do you make fun of Naruto?"_

"_Because everyone else does." The answer was straight forward, to the point and yet it still confused the Tsuki, so she pressed on, determined for more answers._

"_But I see_ you _get teased and called names and you don't like it. So if you don't like it why make fun of Naruto?"_

"_Because when I tease him everyone forgets to make fun of me. I think that they even like me a little when I say mean things to Naruto. I…I just want to have friends. They make fun of me for my big forehead and pink hair. I just want to have a friend." Sakura explained, almost on the verge of tears as she finished. _

_Tsuki came to her own conclusions slowly._

"_So if I be your friend, you'll stop picking on Naruto like the rest, right?" She surmised._

_Sakura was in shock; someone as popular as Tsuki was offering to be her friend. Not really having anything to say, she simply nodded. True, since that point Sakura could have been happier. While the boys were kind to her she never really like playing with them, so she was glad to have a girl to play with. _

_Sakura was glad to finally have a friend and someone that would stick up for her when the bullies came back. After this, not once did she feel the need to pick on Naruto again, after all she had a friend of her very own._

And ever since that day, Naruto's like took a turn for the better.

--

(Present day)

She led him to a shaded clearing, and then bid him sit.

Upon doing so, she clasped her hands in the ram seal to gather chakra.

"Here, now let _me_ show you how to do it!"

The blond paled, just now realizing what she was going to do.

"Hey! W-Wait a sec-

Too late.

"HENGE!"

POOF!

He was now faced with a very _naked_ woman that was 5'10 and had fiery red hair.

It was impossible not to notice that she had a somewhat sizeable bust, particularly when Naruto found that he was only at her chest height and that's where his eyes happened to be if he stared straight ahead. It was possible to see that she only had a slight frame, as he surveyed her whole body.

Her body tapered down from her slender shoulders to her waist before flaring out again for her hips, giving her a full figured appearance. When he looked at her face he was captivated, her alabaster skin looked so beautifully smooth and her features just seemed…perfect. She had high cheek bones and a slender face. Her eyes were bigger and the most entrancing shade of blood red, captivating him as though he were her prey.

If not for the smoke, he would have a MAJOR nosebleed right about now.

Even so, he was practically a walking tomato, so deep was his blush.

She grinned slyly and blew him a kiss, hunching over slightly as she did so to give him a better 'view'

"Ta-da!"

Naruto gawked.

"Sugoi...

Then the steam began to fade.

Blood poured down his nose now.

He passed out seconds later.

She giggled and undid the henge.

"Baka."

--

Naruto, you're failing." Mizuki said as he walked over to the young boy who was sitting in the classroom. Everyone had already left and Mizuki had asked Naruto to stay afterwards in order to talk to him.

"Wha…failing! No! I study all the time Mizuki-sensei! How can I be failing?" Naruto asked. He knew for sure he couldn't be failing. He studied all the time. He knew all the answers for all his quizzes and tests!

"It doesn't matter. You're failing Naruto. Even if you were smart, no one would take notice to you. There's no reason anyone would want to notice a monster like you. Unless of course, it was because of something you did wrong. Goodbye Uzumaki, I do hope you'll be on time tomorrow." Mizuki said as he left the classroom, leaving Naruto alone to think about what his sensei had said.

The right wall exploded seconds later.

--

Naruto ran forward, ignoring the dull throbbing beginning to grow in His feet as he bursts through into a clearing. Sitting down with his back against the large oak tree. He then began to review his thoughts on the situation.

'_Mizuki-teme tricks me into stealing the forbidden scroll, tells me I contain a demon and that the only person who likes me as a human hates me'_ He pondered. ' _Yea right_. _I've known Iruka sensei since I started the academy and he's never wished me ill'._

A scream travelled across the vast forest .Naruto looked in the direction of the sound and charged toward it with renewed vigour. To help Him, he moulded chakra and remembering what the book said, pin pointed it to his nose. The jinchuriki jumped through the path of trees, landing gracefully on the one Iruka was sat again.

"Why did you protect the demon when he was the one the who attacked and killed your parents" Shouted Mizuki

"You're wrong Mizuki. Naruto isn't a demon. His Naruto Uzumaki. Konoha's most Surprising ninja" exclaimed Iruka

--

Naruto jumped down as the shuriken neared Iruka.

Only then did he realize that he hadn't thought of anything.

But what could he do?!

"OI!"

Tsuki appeared and stopped the shuriken with a hand kunai.

Her eyes slitted dangerously.

"For touching him...." She gripped the shuriken and began to twirl it at a deadly pace.

"Die!" She shrieked, and tossing it back with deadly velocity.

Mizuki tried to roll aside-

But found a pair of sharingan eyes blazing at him.

"Shit!"

"Tsukiyomi."

(One hellish eternity later)

Obito tossed him aside like a rag doll, and the shuriken cut Mizuki's right arm in the proccess. Behind him, Iruka was still with shock as he the shuriken stopped.

He hadn't seen that girl stop it.

Just an red blur.

"You tried to hurt Iruka-sensei, because of that, I'll kill you!" screamed Naruto!

The teen glared at Mizuki with such hate that he actually withered a bit.

"Yeah right demon!, I'll bring back your head to the village and become a hero" he retorted brashly

"Try your best fool, I'll give it back a hundred fold!" Said Naruto, brimming with an air of confidence.

He made a cross hand sign at which Mizuki and Iruka's eyes widened.

Obito nodded.

"Its all you Naruto."

Tsuki smirked.

"Do it!"

**"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU"** cried Naruto!

The smoke cleared, and the nearby trees and space were suddenly littered with exact copies of Nartuo, each flexing their fists, muscles,etc as they began to taunt Mizuki.

A chorus of:

"If you're not coming, then we are" was heard as the bushins began to beat Mizuki into a bloody pulp. A hair raising scream that made the sandaime and Iruka cringed in fear. After beating mizuki into a barely recognizable piece of human flesh, Iruka called Naruto over.

He then told him to close his eyes and placed his head band on naruto's blond locks.

Naruto then opened his eyes in surprise.

"You're now a full fledged Konoha genin. Well done Naruto" said Iruka with a brotherly smile.

"Arigato Iruka sensei!" said Naruto.

Tsuki laughed and slung an arm over Naruto's shoulders, grinning like like the fox she was at his deep cherry blush.

"See? You _are_ kickass!"

Iruka chuckled, but winced as he tried to get up, and Obito had to heft him up under the shoulders.

"When I get better, the _both_ of you are getting treated to Ramen!"


	4. Chapter 4

When he came back from the bells test, he was grinning like an idiot, even though he was covered in bruises.

Obito had asked her not to take part in the exercise.

After all, he knew full well what she really was.

"I passed!" He cried aloud. "I got the bell from Obito-sensei!"

"Baka." Quipped Tsuki, playfully hitting him upside the head.

He whined.

"Hey hey! Do you _have _to always do that to me?!"

"You wanna take it up with sensei?" She asked.

Naruto paled, knowing full well what Obito would say on the matter.

"N-No!"

A smirk, and she patted his head.

"Good boy."

--

It was misty like it had been for the past week on this bridge. Naruto and the others knew they would be facing Zabuza again. They were always on guard as the bridge continued to be built. Sakura sighed to herself. She hated this mist; it was _murder _on her hair and skin but she was standing guard over the bridge. Sasuke was over by the bridge builder Tazuna and Obito-sensei was reading his book even in this bloody mist!

"Mou! Where is Naruto! He's supposed to be here too!"

She grumbled when she didn't see him anywhere.

"He's sleeping." Murmured the Uchiha, as he went to the next page.

"Sleeping?!" She all but screeched. "How can he sleep at a time like this?!"

"He was doing a lot of training and overworked his chakra, so he is resting today. He said he will be here as soon as he finishes resting." Obito spoke as he looked up from his book, his eyes forming a half moon smile.

That and...

"The Dobe...He always tries but he will always be dead last." Sasuke spoke this as he grunted, leaning against a set of boxes.

Sighing lightly, Obito looked at his pupils. He shook his head sadly as Sakura nodded in agreement with Sasuke. He couldn't believe he had these as his pupils. They refused to work together and support each other. But he couldn't complain too much. After all, they did manage to barely pass the bell test....

--

Snoring lightly in the nearby field, Naruto continued to recover from his training.

He was exhausted.

"Wake up."

He groaned, and rolled over, ignoring the voice.

"Sleeping...

"Naruto! Na-ru-to! Oi! Get up!" The blond groaned and turned over in his sleeping bag, digging himself deeper into the warm, soft material.

A string of profane curses, as he was shaken, but to no avail, as he refused to wake.

"Bastard, wake up already!"

"Come on, Sakura-chan, just a few more minutes..." he mumbled, closing his eyes again.

For a few seconds, he thought he'd gotten his wish.

Her smooth face twisted in discontented anger, veins throbbed in her forehead.

_'Oh no you don't!'_

However, he should have immediately known that something was wrong.

Frowning deeply, the girl pinched his nose and placed her hand over his mouth.

She watched angrily as his eyes popped open in surprise, and he struggled futilely to pull her hands away from his face. Just as his face began to turn a deep shade of red, the girl let go and sat back on her haunches, blinking impassively as he shot up and took long, gasping breaths of air.

"What...what the _hell_are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me?!" the girl shrugged and stood to her feet, nonchalantly brushing herself off of any dirt that had accumulated overnight.

"Hey, I gave you a chance to get up on your own. Maybe next time you'll get up when I tell you to." The blond grumbled but also stood to his feet, rubbing harshly at his eyes in an attempt to fully wake himself up-

And fell back asleep seconds later, much to her dismay.

Enough was enough.

An angry growl, accompanied by a vicious chakra enhanced smack to the face, as she all but shrieked:

"GET THE _FUCK _UP!"

The result was rather amusing, at least to her.

"YEOW! WHAT THE HELL?!" Screamed the blond, as he leapt out of the cot, fell flat on his face, due to the bandages then, glaring rather furiously at the first person he saw, he looked up and spat a curse at Tsuki.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Huh?" He yawned lightly before he stood and began to follow her towards Inari's and Tsunami's house, His stomach growled quietly as they began their trek...

"You see, Naruto, I'm-

Only to stop when he noticed a cut up boar and trees leading the way he was heading. His eyes widened as he got worried.

"That...can't be good." Before she could finish, he took off in a quick run towards the house. He knew something happened and he wasn't going to let them do something to Inari and Tsunami.

He arrived just in time to stop two men from slicing Inari up. He smirked as he landed nearby, holding Inari in his arms as a log landed on the ground in three pieces.

"You did good, Inari. A hero always waits till the very end to show up."

As he smiled, two of his Kage Bushins proceeded to easily knock out the two thugs. He rubbed Inari's head with a widening smile. "You did Good, Inari. You were very brave. I'm sorry I called you a sissy."

As Naruto said this, the little child started to cry hard and wipe at his eyes furiously. "I swore I wouldn't cry anymore! That I wouldn't be a sissy!"

"Baka!" Naruto said as he smiled at the boy. "It's alright to cry when you're happy."

Inari began to cry hard as Tsunami quickly hugged him. "If they attacked us, Naruto, they will be attacking the bridge also!"

Naruto went wide eyed and nodded and then took off.

"You're right, Tsunami-san! Damn it!"

--

At the Bridge, the battle had begun standing in the dense fog. Sasuke, Sakura, and Obito faced down the ones called Zabuza and Haku. Sakura took up the position to guard Tazuna and Sasuke looked at Obito.

"I'll take the other one, Obito-sensei. You handle Zabuza."

"You will handle me?" the soft voice of Haku came out when she heard Sasuke was going to be her opponent. She smirked beneath her mask and took off at high speeds towards them. Sasuke easily met her in a clash of steel. He struggled against the senbon of the girl. He still couldn't believe how strong this person was.

"HAHAHA! Your student is stupid, Obito. Haku is even _stronger _than me when she gets started." A nonchalant shrug. I guess we should begin our own battle.... Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

Zabuza called out the jutsu name and the entire battle field was covered in an even denser fog.

Obito tsked, and the black tomoe reflected in his eyes.

"Fine then."

Sasuke had his hands full dodging Senbon and fighting with the girl. She was fast—very fast. All the jutsus he would throw at her meant nothing.

"Sensatsu Suisho!" Haku called out as Sasuke had to dodge literally hundreds of icy needles.

He was doing fine until a few caught his legs.

"I am sorry...But I have to kill you..." she spoke as she watched him.

Zabuza was laughing darkly as he slashed at Obito again and again. The Uchiha grunted as he barely dodged the blade. He knew he had to find a way to beat him. He grunted deeply as he couldn't avoid the one slash that caught his chest. He knew he had to take that hit or else Sakura and Tazuna would have been split in half.

He needed more chakra for it to work...

"I am sorry about this..." Haku began to go through her hand seals. "Makyo Hyosho!" she stated softly as the sound of ice forming could be heard as mirrors of ice started to form all around Sasuke. When Zabuza felt the spike in the chakra, he started laughing again.

"Well, it looks like Haku isn't holding back anymore. Like I said she's stronger than me when she uses this jutsu. That boy is dead. Everyone who she uses this technique on dies."

Obito turned his Sharingan eye towards where the chakra was and could feel the spike in chakra himself. He knew he had to stop Zabuza fast to be able to help Sasuke.

_'No choice then. Mangekyou-_

Then a voice could be heard. "Sorry I am late, guys! But the Hero always arrives last!"

Ats he said this, the silhouette of Naruto could barely be made out in the fog as Sasuke looked up from inside the mirrors. He was panting softly but inside he felt a bit easier. He knew Naruto would at least help somewhat in turning the tables around.

Until...

"Sasuke are you alright?"

He was right next to Sasuke inside the mirrors, not even bothering to care about them. He was looking Sasuke over. The numerous wounds the senbon in his body made him look like an Emo cactus in Naruto's mind, but he wasn't going to say that out loud right now.

"BAKA! You could have stopped her Jutsu from outside!" Sasuke screamed at Naruto as he slowly got to his feet. "Now we're both trapped in here."

Glaring at Sasuke, Naruto wanted to smack him in the head. How was he suppose to know the jutsu was only broken outside the dome! "SHUT UP, TEME!"

A soft giggle could be heard from the mirrors as Haku's form appeared in each one.

"I didn't want to kill you both. But I have no choice...."

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" Naruto shouted and ran towards one of the mirrors only to be impaled with about 25 senbon. He grunted in pain and stumbled back a pace as Sasuke watched on.

_'Think, Sasuke! Concentrate! Focus on the jutsu and see though it!'_When the next volley of Senbon came, Sasuke _somehow _dodged it. As he did, Haku caught a glimpse of his eyes.

They were red with tomoe in them.

_'Impossible! Sharingan?'_

Sasuke spun away from the next barrage, lashing out with his wrist-

Haku winced in pain as a solitary needle struck her left, the arm that had thrown the deadly senbon.

Immediately, she pulled back into the mirror.

_That boy has an advanced blood line as well? I have to end this now.'_

By this point, Sasuke was dodging roughly half of her attacks.

But not all.

_'This jutsu of mine takes a lot of chakra. He just awakened it. He can only use it partially, meaning he can't dodge them all.' _She turned and sent the next volley towards Naruto._ 'He can't protect the other!'_

Sasuke _barely_ saw it and moved just in time.

"NARUTO!!!!" he screamed as he moved in front of the blond just before-

The senbon pierced his neck.

Naruto raised his eyes up to see Sasuke standing there. "

"W-Why did you protect me?! I didn't ask you to save me!"

"Sh....ut up...My...body moved on its....own...I don't know....why I saved you..." He fell down into Naruto's lap gasping lightly.

"My...brother...I swore I wouldn't die....until I killed him....Please...don't die also...Naru...to"

As Sasuke said that his eyes closed and his breathing stopped.

"SASUKE!!!!!!"

Haku watched on a little sad.

"Is this the first time you saw a friend die? He is a Shinobi who deserves respect..."

Tsuki closed her eyes and winced, pain blossoming all over her body.

_'Crap..._

**"I'll kill you!"** Naruto raised his eyes to look at Haku and they had taken on a dark red hue and become slitted pupils. As red chakra started to pour out of his body, the Mirrors began to crack.

Obito turned his eyes towards the spike in chakra.

"Oh boy. If this keeps up, both of them will...

He took out a scroll and wiped his blood on it twirling it around him a few times. "Zabuza! It is safe to say that neither of us have the time to waste, so let's finish this now!"

--

Haku was now beside herself; she couldn't understand where this chakra was coming from. It was dark and evil. It felt like it wanted to do way more to her than just harm her. She never once faced something so powerful this chakra was stronger than Zabuza-san's. "This boy...was so powerful. "What strength..."

She then gasped as she threw senbon and he merely _deflected them with his chakra_. She then moved quickly from the mirror but he smashed them with ease. She came at him from straight, from above, only to have him back flip out of the way as she slammed into the ground. She tried to move into a mirror but was unable to when Naruto grabbed her wrist.

"Incredible!" She held up her free hand to try and push back his chakra and ki only to falter as her mirrors began to crack more.

"I...Can't hold him back!"

It was then she saw his fist coming and couldn't dodge it as he slammed into her mask hard. She was sent flying through her mirrors, only to shatter all of them as she slid on the ground, her mask shattering when she stopped at Zabuza's feet.

"Haku...What?" Zabuza asked when he dispelled the fog to see Naruto standing there with his body covered in the red chakra. His eyes widened until-

"Move!"

He noticed a rain of arrows. He dodged them as did Obito while a clapping could be heard.

"My my...the demon of the mist was no match for Children and jester?" the voice of Gato could be heard as he walked out of the giant mass of men, clapping his hands as they moved up to where Haku lay unconscious on the ground. "I really have to thank you, I never expected that you'd-

He went on and on.

Zabuza growled.

"Looks like they're breaking the contract....I don't have to fight you anymore..."

Obito nodded and pulled off his goggles. He watched the fat man smirking at the unconscious Haku before smacking her face with his cane and then placing the cane between her legs and smirking.

Black fire licked at his eyes.

_'Damnit, I need a clear shot!'_

"You bastard! What are you doing to her?" Zabuza growled as Gato did that.

"I think she will make an excellent sex slave, Zabuza…I am gonna take her from you as payment for your failure." he said as he slide the cane up to press right in between her legs.

As he did that, an _immense_ killing intent shot up in Zabuza until a stronger one was felt from Naruto.

**"DON'T TOUCH HER!!!"**This was roared by Naruto as Sakura stared in disbelieve at the killing intent coming off of Naruto.

"She is my ally, boy. Don't interfere!"

**"ALLY? SHE WANTED TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH FOR YOU!!! SHE TRULY CARES!!! IF YOU'RE HER FRIEND OR FATHER THEN PROTECT HER!! **

"Boy...Shut up...No one would take us in..."

"Actually...Old man Hokage would probably give you shelter till you paid for your crimes. Since you're not the enemy, you could even join us..." Obito spoke that but before Zabuza could answer a soft moan came from Haku and that was all it took.

"If Konoha can help...Then save her now! Don't let that bastard dirty her!"

Obito nodded and went to release the chakra-

But couldn't before a roar was heard.

**"I WILL KILL THEM ALL!"**This came from Naruto as he shot towards the group of men and slashed at them, knocking ten of them into the water. Obito and Kakashi took this as his cue.

"Naruto!"

Possesed as he was, the boy had enough common sense to move when his sensei said so.

He rolled to the right-

Just as a wall of black flames consumed the thugs, eating them alive.

Gato stared in disbelief as Naruto, now covered in blood, stalked up to him.

His backup was gone.

Tsuki whispered into his ear, goading him on, encouraging him.

_"You did well, Naruto...Don't stop now...This is the end of a dirty man who bought a ticket to hell by assaulting a young girl in front of her father..."_

Naruto nodded as if this all made sense to him.

Grinning psychotically, Naruto picked up Zabuza's giant cleaver, as the tracking hounds had rendered his arms momentarily useless.

Its massive weight was nothing to him, with the dark power he now had. Dragging it along the stone, he created a _horrible _shrieking sound, as if the demons of hell were screaming for the tycoon's death.

He walked slowly up to Gato, towering over the man with his hand resting on the hilt of the Head Clever. He leaned forward to face Gato to his face.

**"You think you know demons?" **He hissed evily. **"Stupid little man, you haven't the slightest idea. Compared to me, Zabuza Momochi is nothing more than a kitten!"**

Gato began to stutter. "Wa-wa-wait! I wasn't going to! I swear!"

**"Too late you little pig bastard..."** Naruto grinned madly, raising the sword. **"The moment you touched her, you brought down my wrath!"** Gripping its hilt tightly, he brought the sword down, slicing the fat man's head clean off. The man falls from the bridge and lands in the water. Naruto dropped the sword and sighed.

He suddenly knew just what Tsuki was...

As she appeared beside him.

"Wait a sec! You-

_Naruto..._Her voice in his mind, and speaking to him in physical form.

She sounded as if she were about to burst into tears. And she looked it too.

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..._

"Damn."

Then he collapsed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Damn...

He collapsed, but regained consciousness the _second_ her hands touched him.

Abruptly, his eyes snapped open.

"Gah!"

His scream echoed across the bridge, causing everyone present to wince.

Tsuki took a tentative step forward.

"Naruto, I-

He jerked back as if he'd been _burned. _

"Ah!"

He knew.

He'd always known, deep down. The clues had been _everywhere_, he'd just ignored them. Her love of foxes had been the first hint. She had always been vehemently supportive of him, no matter what he did...

When he 'accidentally' peeked on her that one time...

She smiled, asked him if he liked what he saw. She didn't whack him upside the head. Instead... she'd taught him his now infamous sexy jutsu. Had he not been so dense, he would have surely realized-

Normal girls didn't do that kinda thing!

And...

That had to be the reason she had those _ears _just now, and those-those tails...

But did she?

He blinked, and they weren't there anymore.

It was as if she were entirely normal.

_'Am I going crazy?!'_

For a moment, they just stared at each other, saddened crimson reflecting in startled sapphire. An eternity seemed to pass in a second. And in that moment, a bond of trust had been broken.

Naruto simply could not believe it.

No!

Not Tsuki-chan! Not his best friend!

The thought made him sick, more so with himself, then her.

Of course she'd tried to tell him...

Part of him _rebelled_ against this train of thought.

There was no way!

She couldn't be the kyuubi!

That damned fox was _ancient_!

She wasn't old!

She wasn't-

As his mind scrambled for a logical explanation-

She spoke.

_Naruto..._

Her voice, _inside his head, _brought light to his worst fears.

_I'm so sorry..._

"N-No...He sputtered, but that was all he could get out.

_I tried to tell you..._

His mouth worked silently, but he couldn't make the words come out. It was as if someone had ripped out his voice-box. He was unaware that Tsuki had temporarily clamped _shut _his voice-box with her chakra.

Otherwise, he might have screamed out her true identity.

At last, he managed to _think_ his response.

_'Y-You're inside m-me? You're th-the-_

_...Yes. I'm the kyuubi. _

Tears began to leak down his face.

_C'mon...say something! _She begged him. _Anything...!_

This was a nightmare.

No, this was the _mother_ of all nightmares.

_I'll let you speak, but you have to keep this quiet... alright?_

He nodded numbly.

She released her chakra, and...

Nothing.

When he refused to say anything, that only made things worse for her. Clearly he could speak, but he didn't look like he was going to. Fearful that she had done lasting damage, the kitsune took a step forward, touched his wrist with a slender hand.

"Naruto-

He flinched.

"You lied to me...He murmured, looking away.

Tsuki recoiled as if he had _slapped_ her across the face, and now wore a hurt expression. _What did you want me to do, huh?!_ Rejecting her like that _was _a slap in the face. _Just waltz on up to you and say: "Hi! I'm Tsuki! Oh, and by the way, I'm a demon?!"_

He wouldn't meet her glare.

_'Well..._

He couldn't, partially out of disgust for himself.

Hey, this was a big deal to spring on a kid!

_Oh! So you don't want me anymore, is that it?! Just because I'm different?! Because I'm not normal?!_

That wasn't it!

_I'll... show you. _She whispered suddenly, forlornly, as everything started to go dark before his eyes. It was as if someone had turned off all the lights in the world.

He couldn't even see the sun.

_I'll show you how it feels to be alone. _Her voice came from every angle. _This is how I felt, all those years. _Images, horrifying specters of her past, flashed through his mind. _Now look. See if we're really that different._ For a second, he thought it was too much. He buckled under the stress, and went to one knee.

But...

Naruto had a breaking point. True, you had to do a lot, say a lot, to annoy him. Even more so if you were aiming to _really _piss him off. Gato had done that already. Naruto had a limit. You could only push him so far, you could only say so much, before-

He snapped.

_'Baka.' _He hissed through clenched teeth, shaking his head. _'Baka baka baka..._

_So that's it, huh? _She whispered sadly, mistaking his words for something else.

Her physical human form appeared before him.

Then tears.

The sound of crying.

Damnit.

Damnit all!

This was tearing her up!

_Even after all that..._

She bit her lip.

_You still won't accept me?_ _Are you really that cruel?_

He shook his head emphatically, made an X motion with his arms.

_'No! That's not it at all!'_

She blinked.

_Wh-Wha?_

He raised his head, and much to her surprise....

He smiled, like the _baka_ he was.

_'I'm the idiot.'_

She blinked again.

_W-What're you saying..._

Naruto scratched the back of his head, and tried his best to voice the emotions. "Um...What you said...before, it kinda made me think. What's.. so different about you now?"

She glommed him, and her tears leaked into his jumpsuit. He staggered back a pace, unprepared for the sudden tackle attack.

_Nothing! Nothing at all! _She insisted.

"Um... then that's okay with me?" He ventured, not sure what to say. The reaction was quite unexpected. He squawked in surprise when she squeezed him tighter, buried her head further into his chest, and cried louder.

She clenched her eyes shut, in a vain attempt to stop the tears, and he clumsily hugged her back, and ran a hand through her hair, doing what he had seen Obito-sensei do to some crying lady at a funeral.

It was then that he thought he had said the _wrong _thing.

"Gah! I'm sorry!"

She smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" He whined, massaging the now swelling lump on his head.

"Baka, don't be sorry!" She chastised him, pulling her head out of his chest. She now clasped him firmly by the shoulders, and shook him for emphasis, even as she spoke. "You shouldn't be sorry for saying that!"

"Sorry!" He begged, in an effort for to stop.

She only shook him all the harder. "I told you not to say sorry!"

When he had finally stopped saying sorry, she released him from her thrashing, and by then, he was nearly unconscious from the incessant heaving and hoeing. "I'm crying...because I'm happy." She answered when he just stared at her.

He blinked, unable to comprehend such a thing.

People crying because they were _happy? _

The concept was unheard of, at least to him.

"Huh? What made you so happy?"

She blushed lightly, and fidgeted against him.

"It was you. Your words...That's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me..." She seemed to take a deep breath before continuing "Not as a demon, but...as a person. As normal, ordinary, human being."

"B-But you had _ears! _And a _tail!" _He protested, then looked confused, remembering how easily they had disappeared. "At least....I think you did?"

She chuckled lightly.

"Baka."

Tsuki collapsed on her knees, dragging Naruto down with her. Much to his embarrassment, she landed right in his lap. Or perhaps she planned that all along? Tears dripped away from her pale red eyes, and the sobs stopped shaking her frame.

"I'm sorry Naruto...

"So...Are they real?

She knew what he was getting at.

"Promise not to laugh?"

He nodded.

Sighing, she tensed, then forcibly relaxed her muscles.

She pulled one arm from around his neck, and held the hand up in a seal.

"Kai!"

Steam billowed out, obscuring his view...

But not for long.

"Tada." She whispered, without the usual flair. Her human ears were currently nowhere to be seen. But another, more _unique_ pair had taken their place atop her head. There they were, poking out of her crimson hair, sticking out on end...

Two crimson fox ears.

Behind her, now billowing out in all their glory, was a trio of ruby red fox tails.

She glared, as if daring him to comment on her appearance.

"There. This what I look like. Are you happy now-Ah!"

Tsuki all but _purred_as his hand suddenly stroked her ears, his fingertips delicately scratching her favorite sweet spot. Her eyes closed in pure bliss, and a pleasurable whimper escaped her lips. "W-What are you-Ah, there! Right there!" She arched her neck back, as a shiver ran up her spine.

Confused, he stopped rubbing her ears.

This drew an almost pained whine from the kitsune. "No! Keep going, that felt _good_!" As she said this, he picked up where he had left off, leaving her to bask in the almost orgasmic feeling. She found herself unable to form coherent sentences as at some point her tails had curled around them both.

A yawn escaped the two, and she found herself squirming in his lap, nuzzling her head up against his chest despite his blush.

"Thank you."

His eyelids began to droop.

"For...what...?"

A small, contented sigh now.

"For accepting me."

He really didn't see what was so wrong about accepting her. So she had fox ears and a tail or two? Looking at her now....Well, she actually looked kinda...cute.

Blushing madly, he managed to stammer out:

"Oh...no problem, Tsuki-chan...

She somehow remembered to release the genjutsu, before they both dozed off...

--

Obito surprisingly snapped at Sakura when she opened her mouth to speak.

"Be quiet, Sakura. Just be _quiet_and let those two have their peace." He exuded an aura of killer intent, even as he crossed the bridge to pick up the two sleeping genin.

He scooped them up with relative ease, whilst Tazuna managed to heft up Sasuke.

Obito exchanged a glance with Zabuza and Haku, who had stood off to one side this entire time. Haku had finally come around, and was now leaning on her father figure for support.

"Just remember, you're more than welcome in Konoha." He offered again.

Zabuza snorted, projecting an air of indifference.

"Fine. I'll _think_ about it."

Obito's response was as always, a carefree smile.

"That's all I ask, Zabuza-san."

The two missing nin dissapeared in a swirl of mist.

Obito shook his head and chuckled as he looked down at Naruto and Tsuki, who were both out cold. A grin tugged at his lips. _'Not too shabby for a days work. Not too shabby at all..._

"Alright everyone. Mission completed."

Sakura sighed in relief.

Obito shifted his weight, so he could better carry Naruto and Tsuki.

"Now, lets get these two back."

If only these two knew what lie in store for them. But of course, it wasn't his place to tell them their future. Best to...let them figure it out on their own. The result would be the same regardless.

An amused chortle at the thought of all those kids running around. Even more amusing was the knowledge that a few more surprises awaited them in the future.

_Hard to believe they're gonna be calling me 'Uncle Obito.' _Sometimes having these eyes could be a pain in the ass. He enjoyed the gift of foresight, but sometimes, it honestly took the surprise out of life. Other times, such as now...

It was a blessing.

He looked forward to this future.

A future he would _fight_to ensure for Naruto.

_Yeah. Those_ three _are gonna have one helluva life..._

_--_

(Meanwhile)

However, not everyone was wishing Naruto well.

"So, I hear Obito's watchin' him." Replied a shadowy figure, as he picked a bone out of his teeth.

The man with the red eyes shrugged, ignoring his partner's verbal jab as he sat down for the meeting.

"He's nothing compared to me."

"Then why didn't you kill him before?"

A surge of killer intent silenced Kisame.

"It doesn't matter. When Leader-san says the time is right, we'll take Naruto....

"And then you'll kill him?"

"Of course."

**And Wow! I can't believe you guys like my story so much! Thanx! Next up: Mysterious individual! Chunin Exams!**


	6. The Morning After?

**Weeeeeeell. I've certainly let this one sit awhile, havent I? Consider this as an appetizer while I get the old juices flowing again, you'll be seeing the next chapter very, very soon. XD**

**The Morning...After?**

_'You killed me...Obito!'_

"Kami!" Obito bolted upright with a start, covered in cold sweat and morning dew. A hand flew to his face, in a futile attempt to stifle the fading screams that still haunted his every waking moment. At last, the voices faded, replaced only with the deafening silence that could only be found-

_'Shut up shut up SHUT UP!' _With a supreme effort, he willed the images away, but the exertion required to do so brought the jonin down to his knees, gasping for air into the grass of the clearing as he clenched his face between both hands. Still, the red haze crept over his sight clouding his vision, threatening to smother him-

"Obito-san?"

What happened next would always be little more than a blur in the mind of Obito Uchiha. One moment he was curling into a fetal position, the next, he'd all but erupted from the ground, slamming into his would-be assailaint before they could make any move to harm him. _He moved._

If not for her startled, strangled gasp of pain and surprise, nothing would have pulled Obito out of the blood rage that threatened to consume him. Even then, he had to blink half a dozen or so times in order to clear his vision. Then, with a shout, he threw himself against the nearest tree.

His forehead protector prevented the impact from splitting his skull open outright upon impact, but did little to quell the pain or stop the trickle of blood that now wormed its way down his face and creased against his chin. But the pain also brought clarity, and with it, sanity. Just a bit of it.

"Obito-san!"

For a moment, it was as if he saw a ghost of the past.

"Rin?"

"Nani?" The blurry figure did _not _have Rin's voice and this perturbed Obito slighty. As his vision swam in and out of focus, he was vaguely aware that she, this person whose face he could not recognize in the dim lighting of a candle, was wearing little more than a black nightgown.

She reached forward to touch his face and her hand came away scarlet.

"Oh dear, you're bleeding!"

_'No, really?'_

For some reason or another, Obito found this statement incredibly funny.

He must've laughed, for the woman leaned toward him ever so slightly. Suddenly, and without warning, his sight snapped back into focus, as did his memory. He'd fallen asleep out here, drunk on both sake and frustration after Naruto refused to awaken after that day on the bridge, and any further attempts to move him OR his as of yet unnamed friend only produced the most terrible screaming that no shinobi could bear to hear.

He did not _dare _contact Konoha, for fear of the obvious conclusion everyone would draw. Now, after having sent Sasuke and Sakura back to Tazuna's, he'd opened the bottle of sake he kept in reserve for situations such as these, and...the rest had all gone to hell.

"Tsu-na-mi." His lips were numb for some reason, and he found it difficult to form the words. Her expression crinkled in disbelief as she detected the more than noticeable scent of sake on his breath.

_"Have you been drinking?" _Her words were colored with dismay.

Irked once again, Obito frowned at her accusation.

"I can't hold my liquor. Is that a problem?"

"Good." Relief filled Tsunami's face at this. Setting the candle down, she took both his wrists and tugged lightly, to keep his attention. "That answers my question. Now, sit up and count to ten. Slowly now, and let me know if you feel dizzy at all-

Obito sat up, or rather, attempted to, wincing as another starburst of pain exploded behind his eyes.

"Yeah." He groaned.

"You might have a concussion." Tsunami had somehow produced _gauze _from thin air and was already unfastening Obito's forehead protector so as to bind his injury. Obito bit his lip and tried not to hiss in pain when she bound it just a bit too tightly. This soon failed, and out of reflex-

"That's-

His hand shot out.

"Enough."

To her credit, Tsunami didn't so much as blink, or flinch, when he seized her by the wrist.

All she did was smile.

And the rest was one...incredible...

Blur.

_**zzzzz**_

"I thought I'd find you out here."

At some time or another, he succumbed to a fitiful slumber, now, only to be awoken by a sharp prodding in his side. Groaning, he batted the object away, only for it, whatever it was, to jab him painfully in the produced an angry grumble, but nothing more.

"Wake up!"

Now, pain exploded from his nether regions, dragging Obito back to the world of the waking.

"Ow!"

"Wake up or so help me I'll use this thing to do more than poking!"

"Hmm?" The inert Jonin _slowly _cracked an eye open only to find none of than Tazuna himself peering down at him. The old man had a peculiar gleam in his eye that left Obito feeling slightly uneasy. That, and considering that the bridge builder was currently sporting his walking staff today.

_'Oh shit.'_

"T-Tazuna-san." Obito managed a groggy smile as he found himself instantly awake. "You're looking...well."

"And _you're _looking quite pale, considering what I just heard." Tazuna smiled back with an all too eerie sense of joviality. "Speaking of which, any particular reason why my daughter happened just so happened to _know _you were hiding out here, by this _particular _spring she's so fond of?"

"A-Ah,"Obito gulped and continued to stare up at the stars in an attempt to escape further questioning while he sought an answer. "Women are but fickle creatures. Who am I to possibly have any hope of understanding them or their motivations?"

"I suppose you have a point there." The bridge builder fidgeted a moment more, then sighed, grunted and staggered to his feet with more than a bit of effort. Whatever expression he might have been wearing remained hidden in the shadows of his hat as he tilted his head toward the stars.

For a moment, there was silence.

"Say, about-

"No worries, Tazuna-san." Obito supplied a bit too quickly. "I have absolutely no intentions of coming on to Tsunami-chan, if that's what you're worried about. If anything, she and I have-

"Yes, erm...welll...nevermind any of that!" Tazuna, visibly red at the implications of such a thing, quickly sought a way to swing the conversation in another direction."That isn't the reason I came out here in the first place!"Grimacing and scowling with the effort, the infamous builder of bridges tried and failed horribly to bring the current matter about in anything less than a pathetically blunt and painful manner.

"Naruto...he's been out quite awhile now, hasn't he?"

The mood sobered at once.

Obito quietly pulled a cigar from one of the many pockets in his vest, placed it to his lips and ignited the tobacco with a flick of the lighter. After taking a long drag from the cigarette, he exhaled quietly, not quite a wheeze, but not yet a sigh. At length, he spoke again, albeit much quieter.

"Yes. Yes he has."

"It's been nearly three_ days." _Tazuna's voice strained and cracked at the word, suggesting there was more to this than he was letting on. "What if there's something seriously wrong with the boy-

"Naruto's had a hard life."Obito interruped suddenly, now opting to fiddle with the kunai knife perched on his chin. "Even before I found him, there was always something...off about him. Whether it was the way he held himself, how he ate, or maybe even the fact that his only friend, that little girl with ruby red hair and golden eyes, kept vanishing into thin air whenever I looked directly at her, and reappearing whenever I didn't."

"Only friend?" Tazuna glared down sharply at Obito, as if the Uchiha lying at his feet were somehow to blame for this event. "You mean to tell me that that little squirt back there in my house, doesn't have a single person-

"You're forgetting the girl." Obito interjected lamely, and at this, Tazuna muttered something not meant for virgin ears.

Obito only sighed.

"He's had it rough. An experience like the one he's living through would break most shinobi." A wistful smile wormed its way through the cracks of his flinty facade and slowly worked its way across his worn face. "But no, not Naruto. He's kept at it for this long, and something tell's me he'll be-

"Naaaaaaaaniiiii!"

_Tazuna jumped._

"Merciful kami have mercy!"

An earsplitting shriek came from somewhere nearby, undoubtedly from inside the house. This was soon followed by a loud crash and the unmistakeable shattering of broken glass, meaning that yet another window had been broken. Tazuna glanced toward the clearing and swore.

_"What was that?_ Wait, no...don't tell me...

"Oh, I won't. However,"Obito's smile was lost as he exhaled slowly, expelling a plume of smoke from his cigarette. He made no move to rise as a loud sheiek, unmistakably that of a girl's, followed soon thereafter, punctuated by a faint tremor that could be felt even from this distance.

Tazuna paled visibly as the Uchiha finished his sentence.

"Does _that _answer your question, Tazuna-san?"


End file.
